Having an energetic two and a half year old daughter is fun, especially when she’s listening to me. However, I can really appreciate her rebellious side too (most of the time…haha!).
Finding new places to go is always an adventure. Makena is learning how to ride her scooter better and better every day and because of that we’re always on the search to find the next perfect environment for her to explore.
The Carlsbad Sea Wall seemed like the perfect place where she could continue to test out her skills in a somewhat controlled environment. The Carlsbad Sea Wall is 1.4 miles in length and runs from Tamarack State Beach, at the south end of the trail (near the Tamarack State Beach restrooms) to Carlsbad State Beach (right in front and just below the busy Coast Highway at top of the bluffs). The Carlsbad Sea Wall features a concrete pathway with several access points both to the beach below and the street above. A lot of locals run up and down these stairs as a form of exercise. We always seem to run into friends when we’re out on the sea wall.
You can probably imagine that we didn’t go straight to the sea wall. Getting anywhere with a toddler takes three to 10x the amount of time 
just because they like to explore and look at all the surroundings. In her defense the 101 has a very scenic walkway that is very tempting to ride a scooter on too. My only concern is it’s right next to the busy Coast Highway so I didn’t want to ride there the entire evening. And the staircases leading down to the beach and sea wall are also fun to people watch and go up and down on. It took us some time but we finally made it to the Carlsbad Sea Wall.
I’d say it was about 10 mins before Makena decided to take off her shoes and jump into the sand. Hey, I’m all for it as it allows her to ground and who doesn’t like to put their toes in the sand? Makena is a beach girl since birth so we hung out on the sand for quite some time. While we were there, one of the local lifeguards passed by in their truck and Makena was excited to greet them. It’s one of her favorite things to do actually. She thinks the trucks are cool
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t wasn’t as packed as it normally is, which is surprising considering it’s a local favorite. Residents love walking and running along the coast hoping to catch a glimpse of a dolphin, whale or a surfer catch a good wave.
We had a great walk that evening. I felt a bit more relaxed knowing Makena was physically contained on both sides (sea wall on one side and bluff on the other). This is a huge reason why I would rank this high on my list of places to visit when your toddler is learning how to ride a scooter. On a side note, it’s great to also jog along side them as they scooter. Most of the time I had to do that since she was free to go up and down the sea wall with little to no disturbances. I’m so lucky to be able to have the time to take her on these adventures, especially on such a scenic adventure. Thank you for tuning in!